John beidges



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN BRIDGES, OF LEON, IOWA, ASSIGNOB OF TWO-THIBDS TO THOMAS A. MOGREW, OF SAME PLACE.

WATER-INDICATOR FOR BOILERS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 235,409, dated December 14, 1880.

Application filed October 19, 1880.

To all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that 1, JOHN BRIDGES, of Leon, in the county of Decatur and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Water- Indicator for Boilers, of which thefollowingis a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and effective device for automatically regulating the height of water in a steamboiler.

The invention is an improvement upon the water-governor for which Letters Patent No. 218,922 were issued to me August 26, 1879; and it consists of a novel construction and arrangement of float, pipes, levers, and an indicator, in combination with the water-supply tank, feed-pump, and boiler, all of which is hereinafter set forth.

Figure l is a plan of the device with parts broken away to exhibit other parts. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly in section, and with parts broken away to exhibit other parts.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A represents the boiler, the water-line of which is indicated at a. B 0 represent two covered tanks set on supports D on top of the boiler A. Said tanks B O are centrally divided by vertical diaphragms B C, respectively, that have openings I) 0 through them for the passage of the levers G K, that are respectively fulcrumed on the lower edges of said openings 1) c,- and said tanks B O are designed to be filled, the one B with steam or hot water by means of its connection by the pipe F with the boiler A, and the other, 0, with cold water by means of its connection with pump S. I

A float, E, rests on the water win the boiler A, and its rod E projects upward through the vertical pipe F, leading from the tank B to the boiler A, into said tank B, and there connects by a loose joint, as shown at d, with the lever G, which lever G passes through the opening b into the other part of the tank B, and is there rigidly connected with the crank-shaft H, which is journaled in the sides of said tank B, and extends horizontally out through said tank B, and has rigidly secured on its outer (No model.)

end a crank, H, the function of which is hereinafter described. Corresponding with the shaft H is a crank-shaft, I, journaled in the sides of the tank 0, and extending horizontally from it, and having on its outer end a rigid crank, I, whose use is hereinafter set forth. Rigidly secured to this crank-shaft I is a lever, K, that extends through the opening 0 and is fulcrumed on the lower edge thereof, and is connected at its other end to the stirrup L, that rigidly holds the ends of the valverod L of the rotating valve M, which turns in the cylinder M, that is provided with an opening, f, said cylinder M being within the tank B and communicating with a pipe, N, that extends through a side of the tank B into the water-supply tank 0.

The cranks H I are connected, by their respective crank-pins g h, with opposite ends of the lever P, that extends horizontally along the sides of the tanks B O, and is fulcrumed in the standard P, that is secured to the support D, and the longer end of this lever]? connects, by means of rod or chain Q, with a pointer, R, that is pivoted on the face of a dial, B, so that the movements of said lever P are indicated or registered on said dial R.

S represents a force-pump, from which a suction-pipe, S, extends to the supply-tank 0, and from which a feed-pipe, T, extends to the boiler A, While an overflow-pipe, U, taps the pipe T and extends upward to the tank 0.

The tank 0 being filled with water, the forcepump S is put in motion, and, drawing the water through the suction-pipe S, forces it into the boiler through the feed-pipe T, that is provided with a check-valve, m, and into the tank B through the overflow-pipe U.

As the water rises in the boiler A the float E also rises, and by means of its connections the rod E, levers G K, shaft and crank H H, lever P, crank and shaft I I, stirrup L, and valve-rod Lcauses the valve M to open the opening f in the cylinder M and permit water to flow from said tank 0 into the supply-tank O, and consequently less water enters the boiler A; and when the water in the boiler subsides, the consequent falling of the float E causes the valve M to close the opening f, so that the pump S shall throw more water into the said boiler A, and thus when the tloat E, and its connections, as hereinhefore described, is once correctly adjusted it governs the wa- (er-supply to the boiler with perfect and constant accuracy, so that the water-line a will vary only within very narrow limits. The moving of the float E also causes the pointer R to move over the face of the dial 1t and indicate the level of the water in the boiler A.

Thus it will be seen that the pump may be continued always in motion and pumping water without danger of ever forcing a surplus into the boiler; and it is also obvious that if the pump be keptin motion the amount of water in the boiler cannot fall below the point of safety that a regular, constant, and sufficient supply must result from the application of this device.

\Vitnesses:

\V. T. ROBINSON, S. (J. MITCHELL 

